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Dungeon Crawl Classics #74: Blades Against Death
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 05/05/2018 11:45:18

This adventure is set in the city of Punjar, and is intended for a strong level 4 party - some 6-10 characters plus henchmen is suggested. The background sets the scene, explaining how in a three-part adventure the party attracts the attention of the gods themselves and duel with Lord Death himself for their very lives.

So, how to set up such a predicament? The driving force for the adventure is a quest to save someone from the clutches of death. In the unlikely event that the party hasn't lost someone recently, a job offer from a nobleman who wishes to get his girlfriend back after some misadventure. Either way, amongst the myriad rumours that fly around a city like Punjar, there's one that claims that the blind Witch of Saulim, who hangs out in Squalor Court, knows of a way to breach the veil between the dead and the living. The first scene involves finding the Witch and learning what she knows.

As the Witch - like all fortune-tellers - is remarkably unclear in her proclamations, the party may need a little help to figure out where they need to go. Eventually they ought to visit a temple, steal a particular artefact, and make their way to the charnel pits where access to the realms of the dead is apparently a bit easier than elsewhere in town. It all sounds simple put like that, but of course it is actually quite tricky to accomplish. Scenes are described clearly and evocatively, and the threats laid out well. The temple raid is an adventure in its own right - and in its execution scope for further adventures arises, if you choose to make use of the opportunities.

The charnel house is an essay in warped madness. Somehow the party will have to navigate through to reach their goal and accomplish their mission. They can only do that after releasing the blockage that's stopping the souls of the deceased reaching the afterlife... because that's where they, although (for the present at least) still living, must go. It all ends with a game... but the stakes are high.

This adventure should live long in the memories of your players, and of their characters should they survive. Adventure on a grand and cinematic scale indeed.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dungeon Crawl Classics #74: Blades Against Death
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #73: Emirikol Was Framed!
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 05/04/2018 08:53:08

This is a city-based adventure - something I always enjoy - and it opens with a note that for best effect the party should be strangers to the city in which you set it. Apart from that, the city needs to be large enough to support a high-powered and famous wizard - one Emirikol the Chaotic, as it happens.

The introduction explains how the situation that the party will face came about, but as figuring it out is a major part of the adventure I'm not going to describe it here. The adventure itself begins with a fly-by shooting whilst the party is going about its own business in the city. The perpetrators appear to be winged apes armed with crossbows, who have killed a merchant, caused havoc in a shopping street and now are turning their attention on the party - probably the only folk around who look as if they could do anything about the attack. They appear to be under the command of a robed, mounted fellow who is casting some kind of fiery spell-bolts at anyone getting in the way.

By the end of the day, the party is approached by the City Watch captain seeking their aid in bringing the perpetrator to book: apparently that robed figure was none other than Emirikol the Chaotic! He's accompanied by two concerned citizens, another wizard and a lady whose brother was once Emirikol's apprentice... until he was murdered by his master. They have a plan, but need some adventurers to carry it out. Each of the three has several pieces of information to impart that should aid the party in their mission.

To complete their task, the party will have to invade Emirikol's home, the Shifting Tower, which is located in a walled compound to the north of the city. They will need to break in and find the wizard's inner sanctum, where (for reasons pertaining to the pacts from which he draws his power) he ought to be asleep in a glass casket. As you can imagine, a powerful chaotic wizard's home is a pretty chaotic and unusual place to explore, with all manner of strange things to find...

The climactic 'boss fight' at the end has some truly epic features, and it is now that the party may finally discover what's really been going on. There's a possibility that the party may feel a bit marginalised, but they have plenty of opportunities to take independent action which you should naturally focus upon, letting other things continue as a backdrop. Just about every possible conclusion is covered, most have scope for further adventures too. This one lives up to the inherent promise in Dungeon Crawl Classics!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dungeon Crawl Classics #73: Emirikol Was Framed!
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #72: Beyond the Black Gate
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 05/03/2018 08:31:40

This is a tough adventure, suggested for about TEN level 5 characters, or half-a-dozen of level 6/7... and even then they are put on notice that a cautious approach of stealthy exploration will win out over those who think they can hack or spellcast their way through anything: however despite a thoughtful approach being best there are moments when nothing but brash courage will do.

The background lifts the lid on the problem. Basically, the Wild Hunt isn't riding out any more and a bunch of witches want the party to sort things out, replacing the Horned King if needs be, and setting the Hunt in motion once more. This will involve multidimensional travel to visit the current Horned King in his realm, the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom, and stealing the Horned Crown off of his very head! Various hooks are provided to get the party involved - enticing them with rumours of vast treasure or somehow manoeuvering them into the clutches of the Witches of Asur, from which the only escape is to undertake this quest.

As befits such a legendary quest, there is a huge number of rumours to be discovered - some even true - which you are encouraged to customise to your own campaign. The core element is that the Witches - and the portal through which the party will be sent - is in the far north of the world. Different classes and races have separate lists of rumours, so there's a good chance that a wide variety will be gathered.

The adventure falls into two parts. First the party has to locate the Witches of Asur, then they go through the portal - which, if you haven't guessed, is called the Black Gate - and the rest of the adventure covers their activities in the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom. It all begins with the party on a ship in a dreadfull storm - they may have taken passage to visit the Witches, or you may decide to spring it on them unawares when they are travelling by sea for a completely unrelated matter. Be that as it may, proceeding begin in a maelstrom of mountainous seas and a howling gale in which the ship founders leaving the party's only hope to scramble onto a rocky shore where they may either climb a 200 ft cliff or enter some very dodgy-looking caves (with the sea trying to drag them back in, of course). Either way, they'll end up in the same place: dark, dank, and plain nasty... and eventually they encounter the Witches who explain why they are here. Like it or not, they'll soon be on their way through the multiverse...

The Thrice-Tenth Kingdom is a bleak and wintry place, infested by giants who will outmatch the party in head-to-head encounters. Knee-deep in snow (if they are lucky) characters will have to contend with the local wildlife as they trudge to their destination. There's plenty to explore in the Horned King's castle, much to see before the throne room is reached and the King himself confronted.

Despite the magnificent build-up to the adventure, the end is somewhat weak. The options seem to be to murder the Horned King or take him as a Patron, for which all the necessary game mechanics are provided. Moreover, if he is slain it is assumed that the party will return the Horned Crown to the witches, who hand out a few rewards and that's that. (If your party has other ideas, the properties of the Horned Crown are listed in considerable detail, however...). You might want to build up the finale a bit to avoid an abrupt ending, but the main part of the adventure has a splendid epic feel. The party won't forget their visit to the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom for the rest of their days!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dungeon Crawl Classics #72: Beyond the Black Gate
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #71: The 13th Skull
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 05/01/2018 07:56:48

This adventure is quite short - designed to be played in a single session - for level 4 characters, and opens with a warning that you need a good mix of specialists and plenty of fighting types, and that there are ample opportunities for the incautious to come to grief (terminally). The mission is quite simple - to save the girl - but in actuality it's very difficult to actually rescue her even when the party manages to triumph over evil.

A quite extensive background explains what is going on and how events over the past few centuries gave rise to the current situation. It all started with a deal with a devil, always a risky thing to do; but this one seemed to be working well until it came time for the devil to collect... The deal was, to give a wizard called Edward Magnussen great good fortune and other abilities which he parlayed into the position of Duke and command of the realm in which the action takes place. In return, he was to give over not just his soul but those of his next twelve male descendents and that of the next daughter born to the line. He was then to receive immortality, although for the meantime he'd die like any other mortal.

For the party, however, it all begins when they are in a packed crowd to witness an execution. On the block is a prophet who had suggested that the daughter of the current Duke be killed now before any fell fate befalls her - because she, of course, is the last link in the devil's deal. Up on the city walls, the Duke and his daughter watch the proceedings... and then she is carried off! The Duke immediately offers a fortune in gems to whoever gets her back.

It's easy enough to find out where the kidnapper took her - but it will take a good delve through caverns and crypts and a fair bit of fighting to deal with the evil that's going on, let alone get the poor girl back. There are a few rumours to pick up before the party sets out - some of them even have a slight germ of truth. The delve is perilous and can land the party in some interesting places - even a circle of Hell - and it's unlikely that they'll all return. The comments on the fates of various playtest parties make quite grim reading.

The underpinning plot is interesting, and there's ample scope for those who like battling undead, demons, and animated objects, or who enjoy figuring out nasty arcane rituals (with the aim of putting paid to them, we hope)...

But there's more! Tucked away at the back there's a whole level 2 adventure The Balance Blade. It's another single-session piece, and it is suggested that it is played as a one-off, as it basically ends with a full-blown party brawl - as in, with each other. Many players are not comfortable with this, and it does no good to party cohesion. It hinges around a wizard whose patron sends him on a quest, and requires some detailed preparation before running it, if it is to be presented to best effect. Unfortunately the patron is somewhat economical with the truth when asking the wizard to go on the quest, and so everything falls apart pretty quickly. For a start, the entire party gets transported to the adventure site before the poor wizard even gets a chance to ask them if they'd help him in the errand that he's been given.

And if that wasn't enough, there's a collection of Seven Strange Skulls right at the end of the book. They are there for you to use in your own adventures, and strange they are indeed!

Whilst everything here is fun, it's a bit of a mish-mash and somewhat gives the air of having felt the need to put out a 16 page book before there were 16 pages of material to fill it! Still, you should get a couple of enjoyable (if deadly) sessions out of the adventures, and then you still have the skulls to play with!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Dungeon Crawl Classics #71: The 13th Skull
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #70: Jewels of the Carnifex
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/28/2018 11:15:53

A derelict mostly subterranean temple dedicated to the patron goddess of executioners, flagellants and torturers may not be high on a list of tourist destinations, but there are potential rich pickings for intrepid adventurers. The backstory reveals how decadent society prized the misfit devotees of this cult, while city authorities found them... useful. It also tells of the destruction of the temple by those who prized light and beauty and life, and found the cultists' obsession with death so abhorrent that the only solution was to put them to the sword.

There are plenty of rumours that the party can collect merely by strolling through the nearby Bazaar of the Gods. Some of them even contain a grain of truth. The adventure proper, however, begins with the acquisition (by fair means or foul) of a map that porports to show the way in through the shattered remains of the temple to an unknown passage that leads deep underground. Armed with that, it's up to the party to decide if they will pick over the temple first, or plunge headlong into the depths at once. There's not so much to see above ground however.

Below it's claustrophobic and seemingly teeming with adversaries, who are carefully orchestrated to come at the party from all directions almost continuously. It soon becomes clear why the Judge is advised to prepare and plan out this adventure before running it. Descriptions are atmospheric and the threats are deadly; yet all are logical and based in the backstory and in the physical surroundings in which the party finds itself.

It's an imaginative adventure in which unusually for Dungeon Crawl Classics one adversary does actually try to negotiate with the party... not entirely honestly, to be sure. Detail throughout is stupendous, and even if the party gets away with the loot they then have to figure out what to do with it. Definitely recommended!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dungeon Crawl Classics #70: Jewels of the Carnifex
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DCC RPG Free RPG Day 2016
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/20/2018 07:46:09

Remarking on how Goodman Games has been an enthusiastic supporter of Free RPG Day since its inception in 2007, they're now proud to present two adventures. Moreover, they've gone overboard on covers with five different designs which were distributed randomly to retailers. Those who download the PDF get to see them all!

For Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG there is a Level 1 adventure called The Madhouse Meet, set in the forthcoming Lankhmar campaign setting (yes, the Fritz Leiber one). As a 'meet' adventure, it's designed to start off a campaign in Nehwon by throwing a disparate bunch of player characters together as they attempt to escape the clutches of a bizarre sorcerer from lands far beyond Lankhmar. It's designed for four characters but will work with fewer. After some background explanation for the GM, the adventure begins with our luckless heroes banged up in a cell. Hopefully they'll make a break for freedom... A lot of use is made of Luck, and there's a note to the effect that guile rather than brute strength is often more effective in Nehwon! While a short adventure, it is well written with atmospheric descriptions and plenty of ideas scattered around that could lead to further adventures. It's a good taster for both the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG and the Lankhmar setting.

The other adventure, for the Mutant Crawl Classics RPG, is a 'character funnel' adventure for some 15-20 level 0 characters, with each player running multiple characters. It's called The Museum at the End of Time, and involves a bunch of younglings sent out on a 'Rite of Passage' to survive in the wilderness, retrieve a functioning artefact of the Ancients and, if possible, trigger whatever mutations lurk within their genetic code. This bunch has chosen the high-risk high-stakes option of venturing into the trackless Glow Desert in their quest. After a couple of days and whatever random encounters you throw at them, they arrive a a structure which they can explore and loot. It is not, of course, devoid of defences! There are some wonderous and inventive artefacts to be found, many of which will lead incautious or curious characters into no end of trouble. There's some excellent advice for the GM about presenting artefacts to primitive people who haven't a clue what they are, which will benefit anyone trying to describe items to a party ill-equipped to comprehend them, never mind this adventure.

Both are cracking little adventures in their own right, as well as good introductions to their respective systems. There are no rules given here, provided you know the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG mechanics you will be able to cope. Pre-generated characters for both adventures are available on the Goodman Games website. Enjoy your foray into these settings!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
DCC RPG Free RPG Day 2016
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DCC Lankhmar: Masks of Lankhmar
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/19/2018 13:17:13

This 1st-level adventure set in the city of Lankhmar is intended as a 'meet' adventure at the beginning of the campaign, an opportunity for the party to form up and forge some common bonds as well as to complete the adventure. It's designed for a small group but will require both a wizard and a thief.

There's a succinct background for the GM, and then an explanation of how the adventure begins - it's suggested that it begins in media res, and runs fast and fun to at least one of three possible climaxes, depending on what the characters get up to as the adventure progresses. Put succinctly, what will become the party encounter one another as each character independently decides that it would be a good idea to burgle the home of a renowned collector of valuable items and caravan master on the night he's throwing a big party to celebrate the acquisition of his latest piece. At this masked ball, all the player-characters find themselves in the cellar antichamber to the collector's treasure vault... but before they can puzzle out why anyone else is there when they snuck in alone, some security guards arrive and a fight breaks out.

The fight isn't designed to be too challenging, so once the guards are defeated, the player-characters can make introductions as they catch their breath and decide what to do next. Hopefully they'll realise that they might do better co-operating than working on their own. The challenge of actually getting into the vault ought to do the trick... but that is only still the beginning of the adventure. What they find will lead them on to further discoveries and riches - but they still need to exfiltrate and, well, shall we say that they may not be the only people who thought it was a good night for a heist.

Once they are outside with their loot, a spot of research will be necessary, as what they discover points to a greater treasure, a set of magical gold masks. Hopefully this research will again be collaborative, further cementing the group together. There's an optional encounter with a potential patron, and then it's time to mount a further raid on a former temple in town to get the goodies. With atmospheric descriptions and many encounters, there is ample opportunity for plenty of high jinks before the objective is attained - an inkling of this is revealed by some detailed rules for running foot-chases across the rooftops.

The final section covers ending the adventure. Given the clear and present danger the masks pose to the entire city, some or all of them might have been damaged by now, lowering their value... that is, if they didn't get loose to cause problems all over town. Oh, and the Thieves' Guild probably want a word. Winding up the adventure is no easy matter, there are lots of loose ends to sort out and most of them have the potential to lead to further adventures.

This adventure presents the fast, violent fun that ought to fill the pages of any adventure in Lankhmar, and should set up the new-fledged party as a force to be reckoned with as the campaign proceeds.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
DCC Lankhmar: Masks of Lankhmar
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DCC Lankhmar: Patrons of Lankhmar
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/18/2018 09:21:35

This book serves two purposes. It introduces some of the major movers and shakers of Nehwon and, by presenting them as 'patrons' within the Dungeon Crawl Classic RPG, sets them up ready to play their part in your game whether or not your party's going to Lankhmar any time soon.

There's seven of them all told, and they all appear in the tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Frank Lieber - so if you don't know them, get reading for even more background about each one. For convenience, there's a list of stories in which each one features, so once you have picked one you know what to read. They are Death, Issek of the Jug, Mog the Spider God, Ningauble of the Seven Eyes, the Rat God, the Sea King, and Sheelba of the Eyeless Face. However, Ningauble has already been written up as a patron in Through Ningauble's Cave, and the material is not replicated here. So in effect there are six patrons in this book.

Each one's entry begins with a brief outline of who they are, and what pledging to them entails. Then there is a table showing what might happen as a result of an Invoke Patron check. Not all outcomes are pleasant... or is it that some are more unpleasant than others? Patron Taints are also imaginative - if Death is your patron, for example, you may find yourself suddenly somewhere else with a compulsion to kill a given person... they are due to die, and Death has sent you to collect the soul as he's otherwise engaged! Then there's a third table for Spellburn. These again have been crafted with loving care.

It's obvious that a lot of care and attention has gone into creating very appropriate entries on all three tables for each Patron. They suit the personality and style of the individual as presented in the story and have good game balance of benefit and curse, these are going to work well as Patrons for those party members who (are desperate enough to) approach them.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
DCC Lankhmar: Patrons of Lankhmar
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DCC Lankhmar: Through Ningauble's Cave
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/17/2018 09:36:03

This is a rather strange supplement. It's not an adventure, yet it can feature in your games. It's a location and an individual, drawn from the world of Lankhmar, and in a way serves as an introduction to this wonderful place. If you want, for example, to move an existing campaign to Lankhmar you can have the party discover the entrance to the cave somewhere in the current campaign world...

The first part provides a description of both the cave and its owner, a wizard by the name of Ningauble of the Seven Eyes. If you know Lankhmar already you are probably familiar with him, if not suffice to say that he is a... well, it's a bit difficult to describe really. Somewhere within the caves squats something, something that appears man-like, cloaked, with all that you can see of his features being seven glowing eyes. He's one of the two most powerful sorcerers in Nehwon, opinions are varied as to whether he's the most powerful one. (He thinks he is, and it's probably best not to argue, certainly not if you are with him at the time!) Nobody knows just what he is, although rumours about. His passion is the gathering of information, rumours and facts are all grist to his mill.

Unlike most Nehwon wizards, Ningauble is not solitary by nature. He loves gossip, lore, stories and even the occasional fact far too much, and is always in search of new people to bring him such choice snippets... the party will soon fall under his sights if they have not done so already. Once someone has become one of his 'Gentles', as he calls his spies, he never lets go, although years may pass between assignments. One day another of his missives will turn up. Some seek him out, asking for his patronage in return for services, others he picks out as useful. They'll get the patronage, but he'll demand the services he wants, and is not above blackmail or threats when necessary.

Next, we find out about the cave itself. It's all a bit allegorical, but when you are actually there it is real, frightenly so at times. Somewhere in the middle is the Audience Cave, where Ningauble himself is to be found. There are other folk here as well. Other Gentles. Creatures which dwell here. Creatures which have just wandered in and not found the way out. These and more may be encountered (and, yes, there are random tables for when the party visits). The cave has many entrances, likely into several worlds and other places. One's Nehwon, of course, and one may be your campaign world... or indeed any other place you'd like to take your adventures.

There are plenty of examples - places you might emerge into and things that might happen in them, encounters and their consequences - to get you going. Indeed there's material here that could spawn a whole bunch of adventures, pick the ones you like and develop them into something that will keep the party coming back to the Caves for more.

Finally, Ningauble is written up as a full-blown Patron according to the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG rules, should you decide to use him that way for one or more members of your party.

Overall, there's a lot here to delve into. Some won't make much sense out of the context of Lankhmar, but if you do know it everything hangs together to bring the rich strangeness of it all to life at your table.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
DCC Lankhmar: Through Ningauble's Cave
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Dungeon Crawl Classics #67: Sailors on the Starless Sea
Publisher: Goodman Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/16/2018 07:35:54

Designed for a party of 15 0th-level characters (with the anticipation that each player has three characters), this adventure sees this motely horde of novice adventurers attempting to stem a plague of abductions that has recently blighted a village. For best effect, as this is supposed to be a starting adventure, this village is home to most or not all party members, thus they have a vested interest in its wellbeing. Some of those abducted may be friends or family...

There's a brief outline of how the adventure is intended to play out and a fair bit of background for the GM explaining how the situation came to be, and who is responsible. The adventure itself begins with a ruined keep that looms over the village from a nearby hilltop. There are plenty of rumours, and the first task facing our heroes is to decide which are fact and which are fiction. Each player can roll a D10 against a table of rumours, but there are no hints as to their veracity - they will have to make their own minds up. Naturally, the rumours offer valuable clues, but the fake ones can also lure foolish characters to their doom!

The first thing the party will have to decide is how they will approach the keep. Each route, and there are several, has its own dangers, and has a detailed description along with the particular challenges appropriate to it... and then there's the wandering monster table, on which each area features as well! Depending on the route chosen, there is the possibility of a spot of tomb-robbing, but beware: items taken from there are cursed! Although sample curses are provided, the GM is encouraged to make up his own based on whatever he's got planned for the campaign to come.

Once inside, each area comes with a graphic and atmospheric description along with notes about who (or what) is there to fight and what loot is available. Much is not obvious and will have to be searched out... and of course there's still those wandering monsters who may choose to happen by at an inopertune moment. The 'keep' portion ends with the discovery of stairs leading downwards...

As you can imagine, there is more to explore below. There the source of the evil awaits. Lucky, organised and courageous parties might be able to deal with it, maybe even keep their minds intact. Some of the abducted villagers are here in chains, and may be rescued - if any player has lost all their characters, they made a ready source of replacements, else all they want to do is flee for their homes.

The whole adventure is well-resourced with clear maps, a couple of player handouts and excellent descriptions coupled with notes on what's to find and what's to kill in each place the party goes, along with plenty of opportunities signposted for GMs to add clues to further adventures of their own making. An excellent introductory adventure to start a new campaign in the spirit of this game.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Dungeon Crawl Classics #67: Sailors on the Starless Sea
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Coriolis: The Dying Ship
Publisher: Free League Publishing
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/15/2018 10:47:37

This adventure is a classic tale of a ship that has gone silent and off course, with the party sent to discover what's amiss, sort it out and recover a valuable cargo hauler and its load. The text begins with a detailed explanation of what has gone wrong and how it all came about, masses of beautiful detail that's enlightening for the GM but does raise the question of how easy it will be to enable the party to discover it all for themselves.

The adventure is well-resourced, with plenty of handouts and five pre-generated characters for groups who want to start straight away and have no characters of their own. Using your own characters is, however, a viable option. There are also some interesting comments about pacing the adventure, which can be done in a session or two if the group is time-strapped, or played out in a more leisurely manner for groups who like to explore every aspect of a given situation. Like any adventure, a thorough understanding and preparation on the part of the GM repays dividends. The situation is quite dangerous and should a player-character die, suggestions are made as to how best to replace them.

In classic style, the party is on Coriolis when they are approached and invited to a meeting at a cantina... and arrive to find another bunch impersonating them! Once this is sorted out - and several options are provided for you to use depending on how the party reacts - their contact will explain the delicate nature of the mission to be undertaken and enlist their help. He's in quite a rush to get their answer and be on the way... even going so far as to say he'll answer all the questions that they likely have once en route.

The trip to the oddly-behaving ship is relatively straightforward, although a few events are provided should you want to make a bit more of it. They may find out a bit more about the fellow who hired them as well. Once they arrive, the first trick is to get aboard. The hauler is already dangerously close to an asteroid swarm, which would probably destroy it if its course cannot be changed. The ship is dark, appears mostly powered-down, and the party's hails go unanswered. Once aboard, it is a creepy search to find the answers that they seek and regain control of the ship before it is all too late.

The exploration of the ship is handled in an elegant manner: it's completely up to the party what they do. The ship is described clearly, and certain things will occur in certain places... but only when the party reaches those places. Other events can be triggered as you feel appropriate. There's lots of atmospheric descriptions and ancillary notes making it all very easy to build up the air of suspense necessary... and of course that asteroid field is getting closer by the minute!

Overall it's an outstanding adventure, mixing traditional 'dead ship' tropes with some of the unique background and mythology of the Coriolis RPG (although if you are minded to get a bit mystical you could retool it for other spacefaring games). This has the potential to make a memorable story indeed.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Coriolis: The Dying Ship
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Coriolis: Aram's Ravine
Publisher: Free League Publishing
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/14/2018 10:30:43

This supplement introduces Aram's Ravine, the only settlement on a planet called Jina which is by all accounts a bit of a hellhole that you only want to visit if you are after bauxite and other minerals... or adventure, with rival individuals constantly bickering and intriguing against one another.

Jina is barely habitable, with acid storms, temperature extremes, dried-up oceans and icy poles. You are recommended to check out the comments on this planet in the core rulebook to put this settlement into context. The colony is a hub for everyone exploiting the resources of the planet. It's perched on the edge of a ravine in a place with odd geology that has led to the formation of several 'towers' of rock between which softer rock has been eroded away - and the settlement itself is located on several of the towers, linked by rather precarious-looking bridges.

There is a plan of the settlement, atmospherically presented in a way that represents the rather misty atmosphere. This mist is acidic and slowly eats away at anything and everything (including people!) left out in it. Locations of interest include a palatial bath house or hammam, cantinas, a chapel of the Icons, Colonial Agency office, a small medical facility and a witch doctor's office. Outside the settlement there's a local population of fiercely tribal xenophobic 'kalites', acid-resistant humanites who are fairly primitive, although probably less so than most people give them credit for. There's some description of the surrounding area, which is where the mines can be found.

Then we get to meet some of the personalities in the settlement. The Colonial Agent. The (self-proclaimed) Mine Lord. The Salt Witch. These are the three rivals, and there are other subsiduary NPCs as well.

Then there are a series of events, beginning with a note that any new arrivals - like the party - will immediately be drawn into the scheming and plotting that's going on whether they like it or not. And that's before any set=piece events take place. Both of the ideas presented are ripe for development into full-blown adventures, and are open-ended enough that you can put your own spin on them.

Another fascinating location replete with opportunity for adventure!



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Coriolis: Aram's Ravine
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Coriolis: The Mahanji Oasis
Publisher: Free League Publishing
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/13/2018 09:40:23

Labau is an arid and hot desert planet, but if something takes the party there, they will be glad of a lush oasis to visit... so here it is. A few reasons for why they might be there are provided, and reading through the notes on Labau in the core rulebook may suggest others. The oasis and the lakes nearby are clearly visible from orbit.

There's an overview of the oasis and a more detailed description of the village of Mahanji and some of the notable places: a cantina, the caravan seraglio, and premises belonging to petroleum companies. There's also an area called the Wall of Dreams where you can find, er, individuals of negotiable affection. OK, that's where the brothels are. Apparently caravanners, petroleum workers and workers from the starport are all regular patrons.

There's a map of the area supplemented by a sort of labelled skectch of the village itself which gets across what's where in a very atmospheric way. There are notes on every location noted on the map and sketch. and some might think - if you don't mind the high temperatures - that it might be a nice place to establish a base...

Of course, then we hear about the simmering tensions between various groups. The Firstcomer natives aren't too happy about those prospecting for petroleum. There are rumours about illicit experiments going on in the Factory (which does bionics research). Something odd is going on around some ancient ruins... and now people have started to disappear. Things are coming to a head, and of course do so when the party is there, irrespective of why they have actually come! There are detailed notes on the main personalities involved (including stat blocks if required) and a series of events that will blow the lid off things. You could pile all of these up at once or - especially if you expect the party to be frequent visitors to the oasis - spread them out a bit, for each is capable of being developed into a full-blown adventure in its own right. This provides for a lot of flexibility, and the range of events means that you can pick which ones to develop based on what you know of the party or even which of the rumours flying around catches their interest!

A fascinating little settlement to visit in its own right, and with all this going on the party may be in for a long stay. Well worth a look!



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Coriolis: The Mahanji Oasis
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Coriolis: Hamurabi
Publisher: Free League Publishing
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/12/2018 08:11:48

This supplement presents a location which can provide a resting place, a source of adventure or indeed be a place in which adventures take place: a portal station in the Hamura system. It orbits the system's star and is more or less equidistant between the two portals in the system. Being the only station in system, people using either portal are likely to visit. It boasts just over an hundred permanent residents, and has all the facilities you might need: cantina, souk, chapel, a medlab, and residential modules, some of which are available for rent by transients. There's also a 'coffin hostel' for those who cannot afford proper rooms for their stay.

The descriptions of the place bring plenty of local colour and atmosphere to help you bring it alive for the party. There's a general plan based on a labelled line drawing of a side elevation of the station and some illustrations as well. The station is directed by Akbar Rhavinn Bokor, who has offices and a fine residence. There's also a Colonial Office which deals with such matters as the registration of mining claims and ensuring that things intended for any colony end up at the right one... there's plenty of work hauling goods and information for those in need of a contract.

Next, the current situation is discussed. Various personalities come into play and there are several points of tension - such as ice miners from a nearby planet getting a bit rowdy on leave - that can serve as backdrop or even focus of adventures as desired. There are descriptions (and stat blocks, should you need them) for the major players in the various operations on the station and a few events that may occur as appropriate during the party's stay beginning with a 'welcoming committee' as soon as they dock. There's also a suggestion for a complete mini-adventure.

It all gives the impression of a bustling little haven of light out there in the black, a place that operates all the time whether or not the party are there. You'll need to provide extra detail to build events into full-blown encounters or to develop that mini-adventure but there's a sound framework on which to build. Definitely a place to visit, maybe the party will even make it a regular stopping-place in their travels.



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Coriolis: Hamurabi
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Coriols: Artifacts & Faction Tech
Publisher: Free League Publishing
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/11/2018 11:28:33

Artefacts are the most valuable things that the party is likely to get its hands on, conferring great power or wealth in whoever's got them. There's some brief advice to the GM about where (and when) to make them available, and a note about the glyphs they are often covered with. A few are thought to be understood, but nobody's certain about what they mean, let alone being able to read them properly... perhaps there's a 'Rosetta Stone' out there to find?

Then comes a listing of artefacts ready for you to use. Each has a visual description (and often a picture) along with notes on what it can do, limitations or drawbacks... and what skills the party can use to figure it out. But that's not all. There are numerous sidebars that discuss various aspects of artefacts to further enhance your use of them in your game.

Unfortunately many artefacts do their stuff by manipulating energy streams that lie dangerously close to the Dark Between the Stars. For those that do, there's a note of how many Darkness Points are generated for the GM when it's used. If you are too bedazzled by the artefacts presented here to choose which of the over sixty presented here, there's a random selection table to roll on.

There are quite a few healing devices of various levels of power - most will be pretty scary for both the injured person and any bystanders when they are used, particularly if they haven't seen the particular artefact in action before. In fact, many of the artefacts have the potential to scare users...

The second part of the book covers Faction Technology. Unlike the mysterious artefacts, this is the cutting edge of contemporary development, often from hidden programmes of development that each faction desperately wants to hide from all its rivals. They're presented by faction with two or three signature items from each one. Often they reflect the faction's particular interests or strengths. Weapons and armour predominate, but there are ships and the intriguing proxy technology, an immersive alternate reality developed by Ahlam's Temple which they use sparingly for education or to allow experiences otherwise impossible - things like giving disabled individuals the use of the limbs or senses they cannot use in real life. Is this a blessing or a curse?

Providing a tantalising glimpse into both faction tech and the even stranger artefacts, these are items the average party should find only rarely, but when they do it's a reminder of how rich and strange the universe is. The one thing this work doesn't do is assign any values to anything listed here. Perhaps they are priceless. Or maybe it is up to the party to negotiate if they wish to part with the item in question. Maybe it's too dangerous to hawk them around... Whatever, they'll blow your mind. Sometimes literally.



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Coriols: Artifacts & Faction Tech
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